2020 Medley #4: Vouchers, choice, and the misuse of tax dollars
School choice fails, Students give up rights,
Tax dollars for discrimination,
Choice and segregation,
Pilot “choice” programs are a trap
Tax dollars for discrimination,
Choice and segregation,
Pilot “choice” programs are a trap
“…to compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical…” — Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom.
INDIANA’S VOUCHER PLAN
Indiana’s voucher program began as a plan for low-income students to “escape” their “failing schools” and go to the private schools that wealthier people have always been able to afford. In order to qualify, then-governor Mitch Daniels insisted, a student must have spent at least one year at a public school.
Since its inception in 2011, it has changed into a middle-class entitlement program. Most students who get Indiana “scholarships” are students who have never attended a public school. A third of students who get Indiana “scholarships” are students who do not qualify for free or reduced lunches. Less than one percent of Indiana’s “scholarship” students are “escaping” from a “failing school.”
Since private schools aren’t better than public schools, vouchers don’t improve academic outcomes for students.
The purpose of Indiana’s vouchers has changed. Supporters in Indiana no longer talk about helping poor kids get a better education. Instead, taking DeVos talking points, it’s all about “choice.” Parents will choose the best school for their children.
Finally, Indiana schools that accept vouchers don’t have to be accountable for the CONTINUE READING: 2020 Medley #4: Vouchers, choice, and the misuse of tax dollars | Live Long and Prosper
